Pakistan Premier Says Former Military Ruler Will Be Charged With Treason

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Monday that his newly installed government intended to press treason charges against the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, setting up a potential clash with Pakistan’s powerful military.

In a speech to Parliament on Monday that was sharply critical of military rule, Mr. Sharif said Mr. Musharraf had to answer for his acts during his years in power, comments that drew loud applause from Mr. Sharif’s supporters.

But the government has stopped short of pressing formal charges against Mr. Musharraf because Mr. Sharif has said he wants to first consult with the country’s other political parties, casting some doubt over whether the case will proceed.

The case stems from Pakistan’s activist Supreme Court, where judges have instructed Mr. Sharif to decide whether Mr. Musharraf should face treason charges. The former army chief already faces charges in four cases relating to his period of rule from 1999 to 2008.

He has been under house arrest at his villa outside Islamabad since April, shortly after his return from years of exile abroad.

The judiciary’s stiff treatment of Mr. Musharraf has stirred disquiet in parts of the military. Officers and soldiers are uncomfortable at the sight of a former army chief being dragged through the courts, a shocking move in a country that the military has ruled for more than half of its 66-year history.

The military under its commander, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has largely steered clear of Mr. Musharraf’s court troubles until now. It has, however, provided him with a security cordon at his Islamabad home. But treason charges against Mr. Musharraf, analysts say, could change that picture considerably.

The case against Mr. Musharraf is based on charges that he subverted the Constitution when he imposed emergency rule in late 2007. Musharraf supporters have issued dark hints that should treason charges be applied, the army might forcibly intervene.

“It would open a Pandora’s box,” said Ahmad Raza Kasuri, a senior aide to Mr. Musharraf, while his spokesman described the moves to bring such charges as a “circus.”

“It takes the focus away from the serious challenges faced by the nation and could result in unnecessary tension among the various pillars of state, and possibly destabilize the country,” said Reza Bokhari, the spokesman.

Mr. Sharif is hoping to prevent a drastic military intervention by seeking cross-party political support for a treason trial, which could result in the death penalty or life imprisonment for Mr. Musharraf.

The federal government will “take political forces into confidence through a consultative process so that the collective will and wisdom of the people of Pakistan is duly reflected in further process in this behalf,” Mr. Sharif told Parliament.

Some opposition leaders have already expressed support for a trial. But Mr. Sharif will also have to shake off the impression that he is engaged in a judicial witch hunt against an old enemy.

The two men clashed bitterly in 1999, when General Musharraf, then the army chief, ousted Mr. Sharif, the prime minister, in a coup. A year later, Mr. Musharraf banished Mr. Sharif into exile in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Sharif returned to Pakistan in 2007, and his party won a comfortable victory in the May 11 election. Mr. Musharraf, meanwhile, returned from four years in exile to contest the same election, only to find himself disqualified from the electoral process.

But the treason charges are also being stirred by the Supreme Court, led by the independent-minded chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is also an old rival of Mr. Musharraf. Some analysts said the judges had forced Mr. Sharif’s hand.

In the Supreme Court on Monday, judges questioned the attorney general about whether the government intended to bring charges.

The government asked for 30 days’ leave, but the court instructed it to return to court and provide further details on Thursday.

Critics of the charges argue that Mr. Musharraf was not alone in his actions and that he enjoyed the support of senior officers and civilian officials when he was in power.

Salman Masood reported from Islamabad, and Declan Walsh from Johannesburg.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 8 of the New York edition with the headline: Pakistan Premier Says Former Military Ruler Will Be Charged With Treason. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe